The basement felt heavier now, thick with the aftermath of revelations and the lingering presence of danger that refused to be fully contained. Lucian sat on the reinforced floor, wrists still bound, but his once-smug confidence had dissolved into something colder — calculation mixed with desperation. He had finally realized the magnitude of his defeat, the way the Sterling family, with Maria at their side, had dismantled his empire piece by piece.

Ares stood close, jaw tight, eyes never ...